15 Cars That Couldn't Save Their Brand

History tells us that many more automakers fail than succeed, and the fields of cars at any concours or collector car show contain ample evidence. Some auto shows even specialize in so-called orphan cars. Part of the fascination for collectors is that business failure does not necessarily reflect poor design and engineering or a lack of appeal—in fact, a company on the brink is often moved to stretch its creative resources in the search for one big hit that will save the day. Here are 15 that couldn't quite do the job.

1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow

1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow

Buffalo-based Pierce-Arrow, founded in 1901, once ranked with Detroit's Packard and Cleveland's Peerless as the Three P's of Motordom. It was a status symbol for royalty, celebrities, and leading politicians.

Taken over by Studebaker in 1928, Pierce-Arrow regained its independence when Studebaker went bankrupt five years later. Emerging debt-free, it fashioned the stunning Silver Arrow concept shown at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The pontoon fenders, tapered tail, lack of running boards, and faired-in headlights (retaining the company's signature flared housing) were easily a decade ahead of the times, delivering on its maker's boast that it was the "car of the future." The silky smooth and quiet V-12 engine made for luxurious motoring. But a $10,000 price tag, 20 times the cost of a mass-market Ford or Plymouth in the depth of the Great Depression, meant only five sold. While the company survived five more years, it never developed a mid-priced car and declared insolvency in 1938.

1936-37 Cord 810/812

1936-37 Cord 810/812

Errett Loban (E.L.) Cord got his start as a Los Angeles auto salesman, and parlayed that into ownership of the Auburn Motor Company of Auburn, Ind., in 1925. He soon added Duesenberg and the Lycoming engine company to his holdings. The first car to bear his name, the 1929-33 L-29, was the first front-drive American production car.

The company struggled throughout the Depression, gradually investing in the front-drive Cord 810 as a way to fill the gap between the pricey Auburns and the stratospherically expensive custom-built Duesenbergs. The Gordon Buehrig design broke new ground, including its hidden headlamps and unit-body construction. Adding a supercharger turned the 810 into the high-performance 812 for 1937 but it was too late. The $2000 Cord was far too expensive for the mass market yet not posh enough for the ultra-wealthy. Sales of just more than 2300 weren't enough to keep ACD out of bankruptcy.